Rocket-powered vehicle racing competition

ABSTRACT

A method for racing rocket-powered vehicles directly against one another is provided in which a first rocket-powered vehicle simultaneously races against a second rocket-powered vehicle to be the first to complete a race course. The method may include the first and second rocket-powered vehicles performing a pre-determined maneuver while proximate a group of spectators, and/or the rocket-powered vehicles strategically performing the steps of gliding and boosting the flight of their rocket-powered vehicle in accordance with a pre-determined maximum fuel criteria. The method further may include permitting spectator interaction with participants of the racing competition and enabling spectators to compete with actual participants via virtual vehicles. The method may also include the rocket-powered vehicles performing a refueling operation. The method may further include providing audible or visual identifiers of the vehicles. In addition, the method may include providing safety data to ensure safe separation between competing vehicles.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES

This application is related in subject matter to commonly-owned U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/843,297 entitled “Spaceship Competition”filed on May 12, 2004.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to racing competitions. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to rocket-powered vehicle racingcompetitions including racing methods, rocket-powered vehicles,spaceports, methods of observer interaction and virtual participation ina rocket-powered vehicle racing competition, and related apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Car racing is a well-established industry with such variants as theINDIANAPOLIS 500 races, NASCAR races and FORMULA-1 races. These racingcompetitions include a pre-specified car design, a specially designedtrack and direct viewing of the race by the general public in a stadiumsetting. Automobile races have been extremely successful in attractingvery large corporate sponsorship and significant revenue from broadcastrights. These races have also lead to significant breakthroughs inautomotive design and performance. Car racing, however, appeals to alimited audience that primarily includes race enthusiasts.

Yacht racing is also is a well-established industry with variants suchas the LOUIS VUITTON AMERICA'S CUP competition. Similar to car racing,yacht racing competitions involve a pre-specified yacht design, aspecially designed track and direct observation by the general public.Yacht races have also been extremely successful in attracting corporatesponsorship and significant revenue from broadcast rights, and have leadto significant breakthroughs in boating design and performance.

Manned rocket launches have traditionally been high visibility eventsthat garner tremendous public interest beyond enthusiast groups, butwhich have never attracted significant sponsorships or media/broadcastrights. This is because rocket launches typically cannot be ‘scheduled’,as their actual launch time and date depend on when the payload androcket are ready for deployment, and on weather conditions. Launchdelays are commonplace and lead to great difficulty when schedulingnetwork broadcast time. Networks may only pay for the broadcast ofevents that they know may occur as scheduled (e.g., football games,Olympic events, etc.). With regard to sponsorships, sponsors enjoyregularity and repeatability in the events that they sponsor (e.g., carraces, golf classics, etc.). They also enjoy standardization in theevent and in the location of their logos on the hardware orparticipants. They may require that the events have network coverage inorder to extend the value of their sponsorship dollars to millions ofeyeballs worldwide. Further, they desire that the events involve people(e.g., heroes) that participate in the events, which can make the launchof satellites by unmanned rockets uninteresting and inconsequential tothe public.

Unfortunately, conventional manned rockets have been government ownedand operated (e.g., the U.S. Space Shuttle and the Russian Soyuz), whichdo not actively market sponsorships. To promote the development andflight of rocket-powered vehicles able to provide low-cost commercialtransport of humans into space outside of government sponsorship, thenon-profit X PRIZE foundation has established the X PRIZE COMPETITION.The X PRIZE COMPETITION is a competition with a US $10,000,000 prizedirected to jump starting the space tourism industry through competitionbetween the most talented entrepreneurs and rocket experts in the world.The $10 million cash prize was awarded on Oct. 4, 2004 to MojaveAerospace Ventures for being the first team that privately financed,built & launched a rocket-powered vehicle able to carry three people to100 kilometers (62.5 miles), returned the rocket-powered vehicle safelyto Earth, and repeated the launch with the same vehicle within 2 weeks.

FIG. 1 illustrates the X PRIZE COMPETITION. As shown, the winning teamlaunches a manned rocket-powered vehicle 2 to an altitude greater than100 km twice within a two-week period. Rocket-powered vehicle 2 may belaunched at a location and a time of the respective team's choosing. Thecompetition is a “first to accomplish” competition, in which the winningteam is the first one to accomplish the established criteria. Althoughthe X PRIZE COMPETITION is an excellent introduction into the realm ofprivately owned rocket-powered vehicles, it does not lend itself topublic involvement in a competition atmosphere and to the marketinginterest of other competitions, such as car racing and yacht racingcompetitions.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present invention provide a method for racingrocket-powered vehicles directly against one another, in which a firstrocket-powered vehicle simultaneously races against a secondrocket-powered vehicle to complete a pre-determined course. The methodmay include the first and second rocket-powered vehicles performing apre-determined maneuver while proximate a group of spectators, and/orthe rocket-powered vehicles strategically performing the steps ofaccelerating, gliding and boosting rocket-powered vehicle flight inaccordance with pre-determined maximum fuel, maximum engine burn time,and/or maximum thrust parameters for the racing participants.

Aspects of the invention further provide a spaceport for supporting arocket-powered vehicle racing competition, providing spectatorobservation of the racing competition, and/or providing spectatorinteraction with participants of the racing competition. The spaceportmay include rapid refueling stations for rapidly refueling participantrocket-powered vehicles during racing pit stops, one or more displaysshowing the racing competition to spectators in real-time, an spectatorinteractivity server for permitting spectators to interact with racingparticipants, and/or a gaming server to permit spectators to virtuallycompete against racing participants.

In addition, aspects of the invention provide a rocket-powered vehiclehaving selectively applied primary and secondary rocket engines forstrategically accelerating, gliding and boosting rocket-powered vehicleflight in accordance with pre-determined maximum fuel, maximum engineburn time, and/or maximum thrust parameters for the racing participants.Other aspects of the invention provide a rocket-powered vehicle havingidentification features including audible and/or visual signatures. Yetother aspects of the invention provide a rocket-powered vehicle having acontrol console displaying three-dimensional virtual racecourseinformation, which may also display real-time, physical views along withthe virtual racecourse information.

Other features and advantages of various aspects of the invention maybecome apparent with reference to the following detailed description andfigures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be described in detail in the following description ofpreferred embodiments with reference to the following figures wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art rocket-powered vehicle competition;

FIG. 2 illustrates a rocket-powered vehicle competition according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a method for racing rocket-powered vehicles in therocket-powered vehicle competition of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a spaceport according to anembodiment of the invention for use with the rocket-powered vehiclecompetition of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a top-view diagram of the spaceport of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5A is a portion of the spaceport diagram of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 shows a rocket-powered vehicle according to an embodiment of theinvention for use with the rocket-powered vehicle competition of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a flight system and a ground system according toembodiments of the invention for use with the rocket-powered vehiclecompetition of FIG. 2, the spaceport of FIG. 5 and the rocket-poweredvehicle of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of the telemetry unit assembly of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 illustrates a rocket-powered vehicle competition according toanother embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 shows a method for racing rocket-powered vehicles in therocket-powered vehicle competition of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a top-view diagram of a portion of a spaceport according toan embodiment of the invention for use with the rocket-powered vehiclecompetition of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 shows a display for use with the spaceport of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 shows a telemetry computer according to an embodiment of theinvention for use with the rocket-powered vehicle competitions of FIGS.2 and 9.

FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate rocket-powered vehicle competitionsaccording to embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 14C is a top view diagram of a support station of a spaceportsupporting the rocket-powered vehicle competitions of FIGS. 14A and 14B;

FIG. 15 shows a method for racing rocket-powered vehicles in therocket-powered vehicle competitions of FIGS. 14A and 14B;

FIG. 16 shows a rocket-powered vehicle according to an embodiment of theinvention for use with the rocket-powered vehicle competitions of FIGS.14A and 14B;

FIG. 17 shows another rocket-powered vehicle according to an embodimentof the invention for use with the rocket-powered vehicle competitions ofFIGS. 14A and 14B;

FIGS. 18A, 18B and 18C show the rocket-powered vehicle of FIG. 17 withand without seeding its rocket plume;

FIG. 19 shows a display of a rocket-powered vehicle for use with therocket-powered vehicle competitions of FIGS. 14A and 14B;

FIG. 20 is a diagram of spectator server for use with the rocket-poweredvehicle competitions of FIGS. 14A and 14B according to an embodiment ofthe invention; and

FIG. 21 shows a spectator computing device for use with therocket-powered vehicle competitions of FIGS. 14A and 14B according to anembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The various aspects of the invention may be embodied in various forms.The following description shows by way of illustration variousembodiments in which aspects of the invention may be practiced. It isunderstood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural andfunctional modifications may be made without departing from the scope ofthe present invention.

Example Rocket-Powered Vehicle Competition

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, a rocket-powered vehicle competition 10and a method 50 for racing rocket-powered vehicles is generally shownaccording to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 2,rocket-powered vehicle competition 10 generally includes rocket-poweredvehicles 12 and a spaceport 14 having a launch portion 16, a spectatorportion 18 and a landing zone 20. During competition with each other,rocket-powered vehicles 12 follow flight paths 22, which may includegenerally parabolic trajectories or other trajectories as appropriate.

Rocket-powered vehicle competition 10 may involve racing two or morerocket-powered vehicles 12. FIG. 3 shows a method 50 for racingrocket-powered vehicles that may occur as part of rocket-powered vehiclecompetition 10. The term “racing” as used herein refers to a pluralityof rocket-powered vehicles or teams competing according topre-determined criteria. Method 50 generally includes establishing 52spaceport 14, which includes launch portion 16, spectator portion 18 andlanding zone 20, and landing and launching rocket-powered vehicles 12.Rocket-powered vehicles 12 race by competing with one another accordingto the pre-determined criteria. Depending on the criteria, thecompetitions may not be simultaneous. For example, a first one ofrocket-powered vehicles 12 may complete its flight path 22 in a firstmeasured period, and a second one of rocket-powered vehicles 14 maysubsequently complete its flight path 22 in a second measured periodthat is faster than the first measured period of its competitor. If thepre-determined criterion is the elapsed time to complete apre-determined flight path, the second one of rocket-powered vehicles 12could be the winner in this example.

The flight path preferably includes a three-dimension path having asignificant vertical component.

The rocket-powered vehicle competition of method 50 includes at leasttwo rocket-powered vehicles launching and landing from spaceport 14within view of spectator portion 18 in a single day. As such, a firstone of rocket-powered vehicles 12 launches 54 from launch portion 16 ona first day and subsequently lands 56 at landing zone 20. The steps oflaunching 54 and landing 56 may occur on the same day or on separatedays. Further, launch portion 16 and landing zone 20 may be a singlelaunch and landing area, such as a launch pad. On the same day that thefirst one of rocket-powered vehicles 12 launches, a second one launches58 from launch portion 16 and subsequently lands 60 at landing zone 20.Rocket-powered vehicles 12 may launch and land at one or more launchsites and landing zones.

The following is one scenario for practicing rocket-powered vehiclecompetition 10 and method 50 according to an embodiment of theinvention. The competition may occur as an annual event occurring at asingle licensed spaceport 18, but it may also occur at other intervalsand at a plurality of licensed spaceports. Winners of the competitionmay be presented with cash awards and a trophy, which is to be held bythe winning team until the next competition. A panel of judges (notshown) may oversee the competition to make sure the rules of thecompetition are being upheld by participants.

The panel of judges (not shown) may be in charge of scoring during theevent. The panel of judges may authorize teams 24 associated with one ormore rocket-powered vehicles 12 to enroll in the competition based oncertain pre-determined criteria discussed later. Each team 24 may haveone or more rocket-powered vehicles 12 and associated crewmembers (notshown) with which to perform racing activities.

The panel of judges (not shown) may include an odd number of independentjudges, and the total number of judges each year may be twice the numberof teams registered plus one as the chief judge. The chief judgeoversees and coordinates the activities of the judges and reports theresults. Any decision rendered by not less than two thirds of the judgesmay be final and binding on the teams. The timing of the appointment ofjudges may be 60 days before the first launching day of the competition.

The judges may monitor all flight attempts and vehicles during thecompetition, and the teams should agree to cooperate fully with thejudges in monitoring flight attempts and competition requirements. Anychallenge to a judge's independence or impartiality is deemed waived bythe parties if not made timely and prior to 30 days of the event. Thejudges should be unbiased and not belong or be affiliated with any ofthe competing teams.

The panel of judges may be in charge of taking necessary measurementsduring the competition in order to evaluate each team's progress. If ateam wishes to make an appeal of a decision made by the judges, they mayfill out a redress form within one hour of that decision. A hearing maybe held for the requests one hour after the landing of the last launchof that day.

The following describes one possible set of rules for the competition.In accordance therewith, each flight of the competition should carry atleast three people, and each rocket-powered vehicle should be built withthe capacity to safely carry a minimum of three persons, each of aheight of at least 188 centimeters and weighing at least 90 kilograms.In the event that a rocket-powered vehicle flies with fewer than threepersons, equivalent ballast (passenger and required life support, e.g.pressure suit) may be carried in-flight to bring the total passengerpayload mass to the required minimum mass. To encourage safety on theflights, teams may credit the mass of ejection seats or other crewescape systems against the required payload capacity.

For this scenario, each flight should reach a minimum altitude of 100kilometers above mean sea level. In other scenarios, competition flightsmay occur at other altitudes, such as about 5 kilometers to 25kilometers above mean sea level or more. Each team should be responsiblefor providing the judges (not shown) and mission control (not shown)with information that may allow the rocket-powered vehicle to beproperly tracked to verify the altitude achieved by the vehicle. Methodsfor tracking rocket-powered vehicles are discussed later along withFIGS. 6-8.

In any flight attempt, no more than 10% of a rocket-powered vehicle'snon-propellant mass may be replaced between the two consecutive flights.For multi-stage vehicles, the 10% figure applies to the combined stages.The vehicle may return from both flights substantially intact, asdetermined by and in the sole judgment of the judges, such that thevehicle is reusable.

All stages of each team's rocket-powered vehicle should return andsafely land within landing zone. Failure to do so may result in therespective team's disqualification from the flight. Further, the flightshould not be counted and the running clock for “turn around” will notbe stopped unless the team abandons that attempt and requests a newLaunch Slot.

Each team should accomplish a minimum of two flights (as determinedabove) throughout the entire competition to be officially entered in thecategory scoring and overall scoring.

During the competition, each team may be allocated a specific GMT timeto start their launch until they have landed, which constitutes a launchslot. The Launch Slot duration is the shorter of two hours or until therocket-powered vehicle has landed. During this launch slot, no otherteam can launch. A rocket-powered vehicle is deemed to have landed whenall components of the rocket-powered vehicle comes to rest. Each teammay be provided with a specified area within landing zone within whichthe rocket-powered vehicle is required to land. For a horizontal landingvehicle, this is a specific runway. For a vertical landing vehicle, thisis a region of land or water.

As discussed later along with FIGS. 4 and 5, the landing zone locationand size are selected to allow for public viewing while also allowingfor sufficient public safety. Each specified landing zone area maycontain a landing target area 78 (see FIG. 5A) and overshoot areas 80.For purposes of measuring landing accuracy, a horizontal vehicle'smain-gear touchdown point may be measured from the landing target (e.g.,center of landing target area 78). For a vertical landing ship, thedistance of the final resting point of the ship from the landing targetmay be measured. Landing accuracy may be measured with the mannedsub-orbital stage of rocket-powered vehicle 12; however, all otherstages may land in the specified area of the landing zone 20.

For the present embodiment of competition 10, the terms “vehicle,”“ship,” or “rocket-powered vehicle” refers to all stages or parts of thelaunch system (e.g., tow vehicles, balloons, descent chutes, etc.).Exemplary rocket-powered vehicles 12 are described later along with FIG.6.

There may be 28 days in an example daily schedule for the competitionwith 14 of those days being launch days (e.g., days 11-24) for actualcompetition. There may be six launch slots every two hours of eachlaunch day of the competition's 14 days totaling a minimum of 84 duringthe competition. The launch slots may commence at 8 a.m. local time (8am, 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm, 4 pm, and 6 pm).

Five days before the launches start, a draw may decide an order forteams to select launch slots and immediately following there may be adraft pick for all 84 slots. The 84 slots are effectively a launchingorder. The teams own the launch slot numbers they choose in the draftpick but the precise time can be changed if a judge calls a delay. Eachteam may be given 72 hours, starting from the beginning of the draftpick, to trade slots.

Included in each team's registration information may be both theexpected and the longest launch time interval for their rocket-poweredvehicle. These times may grant the possibility of obtaining an advancedlaunch time.

If a team finishes their launch attempt with time remaining in thetwo-hour period, the next team in the order of launching can request tolaunch. This second team can launch if their pre-submitted materialsprove that they can accomplish the launch before the end of that 2-hourwindow. If the next team is not interested in an advanced launch, thenext team after them may have the same opportunity. The order ofopportunity is the same as the launch slot order. If a subsequent teamdoes launch, then their launch slot becomes vacant and the team with thenext launch slot has the right of first decision to whether they want toadvance their slot.

In the event that a delay is called by the judges, which causes thelaunches to be postponed over night, any rocket-powered vehiclecompeting in Category 1: Turn Around Time (described below), may bequarantined to prevent adjustments and the clock may be “paused”immediately for those teams

Only in the situation where a delay has caused a team to have multiplelaunch slots on a single day and that team does not to wish to fly inthis many slots, can that team submit a request to trade launch slotswith another team or withdraw their slot and be put on a waiting listfor advanced launches. If an advance launch opportunity does not arise,that team which failed to trade their launch may not be given additionaltime after the 84 slots.

The schedule may include “Reserve Days,” which can compensate forpotential delays. The judges have the right to decide a fair end of thecompetition if many delays have occurred and not all 84 slots can beused. This decision may be based upon an equal number of attempts, notsuccessful flights, by the teams.

Before being registered for the competition, each team should prove thatthey are capable of flying their rocket-powered vehicle to a minimumaltitude of 100 kilometers with a minimum crew size of three people andshould re-fly the same vehicle within two weeks. These QualificationFlights may be done within six months of the competition. Each team maybe allowed to enter the competition with two identical vehicles.However, only one vehicle may be used in the qualifying flight ifinformation is submitted proving that the second is identical. Thesecond ship may only be used if the first ship is deemed to bedisqualified incapacitated, in which case it cannot be used again in thecompetition.

Every competing team may be scored in the following five categories.They may make as many flight attempts as possible during the length ofthe competition and within the guidelines of the competition.

Category 1 entitled “Turn Around Time” is the fastest time from firsttake-off (deemed as the start of the assigned Launch Slot) to therocket-powered vehicle 12 landing in landing zone 20 on their secondsuccessful flight. These two successful flights need not be consecutive.Both flights should carry a minimum of three people and reach a minimumof 100 km. Only one vehicle, however, can be used to win this category.If a team uses a new vehicle 12, then the clock restarts for Category 1.

Category 2 entitled “Max PAX” is the largest number of crew carried to aminimum of 100 km altitude on a single flight. Category 3 entitled“Total PAX” is the largest number of crew carried by a same vehicle to aminimum of 100 km during entire period of the competition. If both shipsare used during the competition, for scoring in Category 3, Max PAX, thecrew totals are not combined and the team's results may be taken fromthe higher total of the two ships.

Category 4 entitled “Max Altitude” is the highest altitude reachedduring a single flight carrying a minimum of 3 crewmembers. Category 5entitled “Fastest Flight Time” is the fastest time from first take-off(deemed as the start of the assigned Launch Slot) to the rocket-poweredvehicle 12 landing in landing zone 20 on their first successful flight.The flight may carry a minimum of three people and reach a minimum of100 km. For any flight to count for a category, the crew should returnto the Earth's surface in good health according to the definition setforth by the Federation Aéronautique Internationale.

The competition may be scored using a low point scoring system. Thefinishing position in each category may be the team's point score (forexample, 1^(st) place receives 1 point and 4^(th) place receives 4points). The team with the lowest combined point score from all thecategories is the competition Champion.

If a team fails to complete the minimum of two flights during thecompetition, that team may be scored as “DNC” for “Did Not Complete” andtheir point score for all categories may be the total number ofcompetitors for the entire competition plus one (if there are five teamsthat are competing the team that scores a DNC may receive 6 points ineach category totally 30 points total). This is to recognize the factthat a team went through the proper pre-qualifications and applicationprocedures and to recognize their involvement in the competition.

For each of the five categories the same tiebreaking procedure may befollowed. If two or more teams are tied in a category, the team thatdemonstrates the closest landing to the center of landing target 78 (seeFIG. 5A) may be the tiebreaker winner. In case of multiple teamsacquiring the same target score, the winner may be the team thatperforms this task the most. If the teams have landed the exact sameamount of times and the same accuracy, the finishing position of theteam in that category may remain tied.

If there is a tie for the overall competition, the teams in question mayhave their scores compared in the following manner: The team with themost first place finishes may become the competition Champion. If theamount of firsts is the same then it may go the number of second placefinishes, followed by third and so on.

In the event that two or more teams have the exact same results from allof the categories, the target accuracy performance from throughout thecompetition may be compared. Closest finisher to the target bull's-eyewins the target accuracy performance criteria. If the tied teams allacquired the bull's-eye, then the total number of successful flights tothe bull's-eye judges the target performance. If the teams have theexact same target performance in the competition, the competition may beawarded to the tied teams, the prize may be shared and the trophy may betime-shared.

For tiebreaker purposes, the landing accuracy record may be each team'scomplete efforts with both ships for Categories 2, 4 and 5 only. Thelanding accuracy record for Category 1 and 3 may be chosen by each teamfor the ship they want to be scored.

Judges may postpone launches due to weather conditions, accidents orhazardous situations at their discretion. Judges may declare theduration of postponement within 5 minutes. The Judges may provide anupdate half way through the postponement with an option to end thepostponement or declare an extension.

In advance of the competition, all teams may submit the weathercondition restrictions of their vehicles they deem safe and unsafe tolaunch. A team can petition the judges for a launch delay due toweather, however, the judges may base their decision on the weatherconditions submitted in advance by the team.

Example Rocket-Powered Vehicle

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 8, an example rocket-powered vehicle 12 isshown for use with rocket-powered vehicle competition 10 and method 50.Rocket-powered vehicle 12 is a human-carrying, rocket powered, reusablevehicle, which may include aviation stages (not shown) and is capable oftraveling at supersonic speeds. A significant portion of a flight forrocket-powered vehicles 12 should be powered by rocket engines, such asthe take-off portion of flight. Each team 24 may provide a document thatdescribes the general nature and configuration of its vehicle,propellants, vehicle non-propellant mass, take-off and landing modes,and its intended flight plans.

Examples of rocket-powered vehicle 12 include rocket-powered vehiclesdeveloped for the X PRIZE COMPETITION (discussed in the Background). Asshown in FIG. 6, rocket-powered vehicle 12 generally includes a vehicle26, a propulsion system 28 including a propellant 30, and a flightsystem 32. Vehicle 26 is capable of carrying one or more human occupants(not shown) during flight. Flight system 32 monitors and/or controlsflight conditions. Propulsion system 28 provides rocket-propulsion tovehicle 26 via propellant 30. Propellant 30 may include a variety ofrocket fuels, such as an oxidizer (e.g., liquid oxygen, nitrogentetroxide, nitrous oxide, air, hydrogen peroxide, perchlorate, ammoniumperchlorate, etc.) plus a fuel (e.g., light methane, hydrazine-UDMH,kerosene, hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HPTB), jet fuel, alcohol,asphalt, special oils, polymer binders, solid rocket fuel, etc.).

An example embodiment of rocket-powered vehicle 12 includes arocket-powered vehicle named “SPACESHIP ONE” (SS1) (not shown) made bySCALED COMPOSITES, LLC. On Dec. 17, 2003, SCALED COMPOSITES, LLC flewSS1, which is a vehicle developed for the X PRIZE COMPETITION, bylaunching it from a carrier aircraft and then igniting its rocketengine. The United States Federal Aviation Administration provided aone-year license to SCALED COMPOSITES, LLC on Apr. 7, 2004 forperforming additional flights pursuant its entry in the X PRIZEcompetition.

SS1 is a three-person rocket-powered vehicle that was designed to beattached to a turbojet launch aircraft named “WHITE KNIGHT” (WK) (notshown). WK can launch SS1 by climbing to about 50,000 feet with SS1attached and then dropping it into gliding flight. SS1 can then use itsrocket engine propulsion system 28 to climb steeply at a speed of about2,500 m.p.h. SS1 may then coast up to an altitude of about 100 km (62miles) and fall downward. SS1 can convert from a low-drag launchconfiguration to high-drag configuration, which permits it to perform asafe, atmospheric entry at a slower speed. After it decelerates foratmospheric entry, SS1 converts back to the launch configuration of aconventional glider, which allows it maneuver and glide down to a runwayfor landing.

Other configurations of rocket-powered vehicles are contemplated for usewith the present invention. For instance, at least twelve teams arecurrently competing in the X PRIZE COMPETITION with rocket-poweredvehicles of various configurations and styles, which may be used withcompetition 10. Rocket-powered vehicles may be multiple stage rocketswith reusable vehicles and single stage vehicles. Moreover, the flightsystem of each rocket-powered vehicle may include a telemetry unit 34,sensors 36 including cameras 38, mode switches 40, and a transmitter 42.As such, flight system 32 is able to record and/or provide accuratemeasurements of flight conditions to the judges. As discussed later,flight system 32 may also provide real-time information to spectators asthey monitor the competition.

Sensors 36 may include a variety of sensing equipment such asaccelerometers, altimeters, velocimeters, gimbals, transponders, globalpositioning systems (GPS) and position sensors, etc., which may includeone or more cameras 38, for recording and/or transmitting images duringflights. Cameras 38 may be positioned to view both inside and outsidevehicle 26. For instance, cameras 38 may be directed toward crewmembersinside vehicle 26 and down toward the earth. Mode switches 40 may beused as necessary to select data feeds received from various sensors andprovide it to recording equipment (not shown) or to transmitter 42 fortransmission to a ground system 44.

Each team of the competition may carry a telemetry unit 34 on any oftheir competing rocket-powered vehicles. Telemetry unit 34 provides anintegrated device that can be independently calibrated and verifiedbefore and after qualifying flights. Each telemetry unit 34 may receivedata from at least two externally mounted cameras 38 and two internallymounted cameras 38, and is connected to associated video recordinghardware (not shown) and transmitting hardware. The telemetry unitweight and volume may be counted towards the crew requirement mass ifdesired. On multistage entries, the judges and may have the option toplace a telemetry unit on each stage of the rocket-powered vehicle. Itis the responsibility of each team to properly install and operate thetelemetry unit. Teams may petition to use their own video recording andtransmitting hardware so long as the hardware meets the requiredtechnical and operational requirements.

As shown in FIG. 7, data may be sent from rocket-powered vehicle 12 toground system 44 via transmitter 42, which may be a C-bandomni-directional transmitter or other RF transmitter. Transmitter 42 maybe directed to a receiver 46 of ground system 44, such as a C-bandsatellite dish, to provide substantially real-time monitoring offlights. Receiver 46 may be mounted on an antenna gimbal (not shown) topermit it to track a rocket-powered vehicle during flight for strongreception of signals transmitted therefrom. A network extender 62converts the signals received, which may be two or more video streams 64and 66. For example, two or more Electrical Ground Support Equipment(EGSE) video streams may be provided during flights of rocket-poweredvehicles 12.

FIG. 8 shows an example telemetry unit 34 for use with flight system 32.Telemetry unit 34 is a substantially integrated unit with its own powersupply 37 that can receive data from sensing equipment, process thedata, store it and provide outputs to external equipment. The powersupply may be a 28V battery 37 that powers a power support board 39,which in turn provides power of various voltages to processing equipment(e.g., CPU) (not shown). Telemetry unit 34 may include a chassis 41,such as a U-slot chassis, for containing the components of the telemetryunit, which may be conduction-cooled to reduce power consumptionrequirements compared with a fan-cooled system. Chassis 41 may beconnected to mounting equipment 43 that is standardized for installationin any of rocket-powered vehicles 12, such as 19″ rackmount equipment.Telemetry unit 34 receives inputs from sensing equipment, such as videofeed from cameras 38 (see FIG. 7), which it processes and/or stores. Forinstance, it may convert video feed from cameras 38 into a compressibledigital format (e.g., MPEG), which can be stored in a digital videorecorder and transmitted to ground system 44 (see FIG. 7). Telemetryunit 34 may connect with the flight system 32 of the respectiverocket-powered vehicle to receive appropriate command inputs and provideoutputs, such as RF video output. Telemetry unit 34 may include anetwork interface, such as a PC Ethernet card 45, for interfacing withthe flight system and/or for providing data to the judges at completionof qualifying flights.

Example Spaceport

Referring now to FIGS. 4, 5 and 5 a, spaceport 14 is generally shown.Spaceport 14 provides a pre-determined location from whichrocket-powered vehicles 12 can takeoff and land, and from whichspectators may view rocket-powered vehicle competition 10. FIG. 4 is aperspective view of a fair and exhibition grounds portion 68 ofspaceport 14, which permits spectators to evaluate exhibits and viewtakeoff and/or landing of rocket-powered vehicles 12 occurring indistant portions of spaceport 14. FIG. 5 is top-view diagram ofspaceport 14, and FIG. 5A shows portions of the diagram of FIG. 5.Spaceport 14 may be located in a remote area, such as in the desert ofNevada, in which an exclusive, controlled airspace may be maintainedduring rocket-powered vehicle competition 10.

As shown in FIG. 5A, spaceport 14 generally includes a launch portion16, a spectator portion 18, a landing zone 20, maintenance/storage areas70, and control facilities 72. Launch portion 16 may include a two-wayrunway 74 to permit rocket-powered vehicles 12 to launch that use wingedaircraft (not shown) for takeoff, and for landing winged aircraft (notshown) and/or rocket-powered vehicles 12 as needed. Launch portion 16also includes pads 76 from which vertical takeoff of rocket-poweredvehicles 12 may occur. Landing zone 20 includes a landing target area 78with target overshoot areas 80. As discussed above, competitors may beevaluated on how close they land their respective rocket-powered vehicle12 to a target (e.g., bulls eye marker (not shown)) located withinlanding target area 78.

Spectator portion 18 may include a variety of facilities and areas thatare appropriate for the general public, such as fair grounds, exhibitiongrounds, campgrounds, etc. Further, spectator portion 18 may includeviewing facilities located close enough to launch portion 16 and landingzone 20 to permit direct viewing of rocket-powered vehicles 12 as theytakeoff and land during competitions. As such, spaceport 18 includes ageneral viewing area 82 and box seats viewing area 84. General viewingarea 80 is located a relatively safe distance from launch pads 76 andlanding zone 20. Viewing area 82 may be located about 2 to 5 miles fromlaunch pads 76, and for better viewing, general viewing area 82 may belocated about 3 miles from launch pads 76. From these distances,spectators can directly view the launch of rocket-powered vehicles 12with or without viewing aids (e.g., binoculars) without significantrisks from launch failures. Viewing area 80 may be located a greaterdistance from landing zone 20 than from launch portion 16 due to thegenerally increased safety risk associated with landing rocket-poweredvehicles 12 compared with launching them. To further enhance safety,general viewing area 82 may include debris shutters (not shown), whichmay be closed quickly in the event of an actual or anticipated unsafeincident (e.g., rocket-powered vehicle crash).

Box seats viewing area 84 is located closer to launch portion 16 andlanding zone 20 than general viewing area 80, which increases the riskto the spectators located in this area. As such, box seats viewing area84 may be enclosed to protect spectators therein, and may provideviewing via view ports made of shatter-resistant transparent materials.To enhance viewing in spectator portion 18, televisions 86 may beprovided that show close views of rocket-powered vehicles 12 duringlaunch and landing or at other times, and to show information aboutcompetition 10. Televisions 86 may also show substantially real-timestatus of rocket-powered vehicles 12 during the competitions. Forexample, televisions 86 may show a graphical representation of acompeting rocket-powered vehicle 12 at its present location as itadvances along its flight path 22 so that spectators may monitor itsprogress as it occurs. This information may be obtained via informationacquired by the rocket-powered vehicle's telemetry unit 34. Televisionsmay also shows views from cameras 38 on the respective rocket-poweredvehicle.

Information shown on televisions 86 may be provided from a media center88 and/or from mission control 90 (discussed later). Media center 88processes and collates information for display on television 86 and forproviding it to spectators at other locations, media outlets, etc. Assuch, media center 88 may have its own satellite uplink (not shown) forsharing information related to rocket-powered vehicle competition 10.Media center 88 may include a server or other computer 87, which createsgraphical representations of the status of rocket-powered vehicles 12 inrelation to their flight paths 22, other rocket-powered vehicles, and/orvirtual pylons. The term virtual pylon as used herein means athree-dimensional location above the earth's surface. For example, athree-dimensional location may be identified by the judges (e.g.,3-dimensional geographical coordinates for a point in space) as avirtual pylon that a rocket-powered vehicle should encounter within agiven distance in order to meet a criterion of passing through thevirtual pylon. Computer 87 may use location information provided by thetelemetry units 34 of each rocket-powered vehicle 22 via ground system44 to provide substantially real-time status and location information tothe spectators. Media center 88 may also provide information to awireless hub 92 for dissemination to spectators located at spaceport 14and/or for transmission to others via the Internet. For example,spectators may be able to access information personally that is providedon televisions 86 and/or other information via wireless hub 92. Forinstance, a first spectator may be able to monitor progress of a firstteam 24 via wireless hub 92 while a second spectator monitors progressof a second team 24 via wireless hub 92. In one configuration,televisions 86 display a virtual crash when a team fails to maneuveraround a required virtual pylon.

Much of the information provided to spectators is provided via controlfacilities 72. Control facilities 72 include a control tower 94 andmission control 96. Control tower 94 provides a birds-eye view ofspaceport 12 to operational control personnel, such as aircraftcontrollers, to assist command and control of competition 10. Missioncontrol 96 includes equipment such as RADAR, tracking and telemetryequipment, ground system 44 (shown in FIG. 7), and communicationsequipment. Mission control shown in FIGS. 5 and 5A may include groundsystem 44. Information transmitted from rocket-powered vehicles 12 toground system 44 enables command and control to monitor and verify theflight path 22 of respective rocket-powered vehicles 12. The informationmay also be communicated to spectators via televisions 86 and/orwireless hub 92, such as rocket-powered vehicle location and videofeeds.

Spaceport 14 provides a controlled venue, which combined withrocket-powered vehicle competition 10 occurring over a defined timeperiod, creates an exciting atmosphere that may appeal to a broadcross-section of the public and to corporate sponsors, and which canincrease interest in the development of public space travel. To promotea festive atmosphere further at rocket-powered vehicle competitions 10,spaceport 14 may support spaceflight-related activities that keepspectators engaged and provide hands-on experiences to involve thempersonally in the public spaceflight industry.

For example, spaceport 14 participating in a rocket-powered vehiclecompetition may support an overall mix of events and activities focusedon those areas that directly compliment the public spaceflight industry.As such, a Public Spaceflight Exhibition (not shown) may be included inrocket-powered vehicle competition 10 to provide spectators theopportunity to participate in sub-orbital flights, parabolic (zerogravity) flights, and high-fidelity simulations can build publicexcitement and ultimately the public acceptance of this market arena. Asanother example, integrating public spaceflight related rides and uniqueastronaut training opportunities can greatly enhance the competition.For a fee, spectators may be able to experience the sensations of spaceflight in rides and simulators. For instance, the Zero GravityCorporation (ZERO-G) may provide parabolic flights in its Boeing 727airplane to offer customers up to 20 parabolas, each with 30 seconds ofzero-g time. ZERO-G has the capacity to carry more than 100 payingpassengers per day. Additional weightlessness experiences may includeneutral buoyancy simulations, which are essentially large water tanksthat re-create a spacewalk in a spacesuit. Simulations of the launch andre-entry of the rocket-powered vehicles may be provided by a centrifugeto recreate the gravitational forces that the rocket-powered vehiclesexperience. Additionally, a full-motion interactive flight simulator,similar to the ones used for airline and military flight training, mayprovide additional spaceflight experiences.

Further, rocket-powered vehicle competition 10 may incorporate anastronaut training facility akin to SPACE CAMP that simulates the fullastronaut training experience. The direct effect and goal of theseactivities is a change in perception by the public from theimpossibility to the possibility of public spaceflight. In addition, anAir and Rocket Show segment of the rocket-powered vehicle competitionmay be provided to provide further entertainment and draw large numbersof spectators. Lending a unique flavor to the Exhibition may be ademonstration of Unlimited Class Vehicles, which are piloted non-X PRIZEclass rockets and rocket-powered vehicles. A thrilling exhibition ofrocket vehicles also may be featured during the air show. For example,XCOR Aerospace's rocket powered Long EZ airplane could be a featuredattraction. These exciting ships, although not directly eligible for therocket-powered vehicle competition, may nonetheless provide an excitingand memorable demonstration of the endless possibilities and uniqueapplications of rocket propulsion. Additionally, the teams may have theopportunity to display mock-up or partially constructed vehicles.

Example Rocket-Powered Vehicle Competition with Virtual Pylons

Referring now to FIGS. 9-12, a rocket-powered vehicle competition 110(FIG. 9), a rocket-powered vehicle racing method 150 (FIG. 10), aspaceport 114 (FIG. 11), a display 200 (FIG. 12) and a telemetrycomputer 87 according to further embodiments of the invention aregenerally shown. Aspects of these further embodiments are generally thesame as previously discussed embodiments, except as discussed hereafter.Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, a rocket-powered vehicle competition110 and a method 150 for racing rocket-powered vehicles is generallyshown according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 9,rocket-powered vehicle competition 110 generally includes rocket-poweredvehicles 112, 113 and a spaceport 114 having a launch portion 116, aspectator portion 118 and a ditch zone 117. Launch portion 116 providesan area for substantially vertical takeoff and landing of rocket-poweredvehicles 112 and 113. During competition with each other, rocket-poweredvehicles 112, 113 follow a pre-determined flight path 122, which isestablished according to virtual pylons 115. Pre-determined flight path122 may include a wide variety of flight paths such as substantiallyvertical flight paths, parabolic flight paths, etc. Further,pre-determined flight path 122 may include several turns that requirerocket-powered vehicles 112 and 113 to perform several maneuvers.Further, a significant portion of pre-determined flight path 122 may bewithin direct viewing of spectators located at a stadium 118 in thespectator portion. For example, flight path 122 may include virtualpylons 115 located between about 5,300 feet (one mile) and 53,000 feet(10 miles). Rocket-powered vehicles 112 and 113 maneuvering at thesealtitudes may be directly viewed by spectators at stadium 118 usingbinoculars and telescopes. Further, flight path 122 may include virtualpylons 115 located between about 10,000 feet and 33,000 feet, whichprovides a range of altitudes that are located a relatively safedistance from stadium 118 without being too far away for viewing.

Rocket-powered vehicle competition 110 may involve racing of two or morerocket-powered vehicles 112 and 113 substantially simultaneously on thesame flight path 122 (i.e., racecourse). The racecourse may be formedand navigated using virtual pylons 115. For example, each rocket-poweredvehicle 112 and 113 may be provided the three-dimensional locations ofvirtual pylons 115 prior to and/or during rocket-powered vehiclecompetition 110. The racecourse may also include virtual tunnelsdescribed by three-dimensional locations, within which therocket-powered vehicles should remain during the race. Optionally, eachrocket-powered vehicle and/or team may be provided with their ownvirtual tunnel within which they should remain during the race. Thus, invarious combinations, the racecourse may include virtual pylons,racecourse virtual tunnels, and individual team/vehicle virtual tunnelslocated within a racecourse virtual tunnel. The pilots of therocket-powered vehicles may then navigate their respectiverocket-powered vehicles around, through and/or proximate to the pylonsaccording to the race criteria and the racecourse data. The pilots mayuse global positioning technology to determine their precisethree-dimensional location with respect to the pylons and theracecourse. Each rocket-powered vehicle's three-dimensional positionduring the race may be provided to telemetry unit 34 during competitionand may be transmitted to ground system 44 for monitoring by the judgesand spectators. FIG. 9 shows an example in which rocket-powered vehicles112 and 113 are required to maneuver around virtual pylons 115 within apre-determined distance based on racecourse data. It is contemplatedthat RADAR or other location tracking systems may be used in addition toglobal positioning systems in order to track and maneuver therocket-powered vehicles in relation to the virtual pylons and theracecourse data.

FIG. 10 shows a method 150 for racing rocket-powered vehicles that mayoccur as part of rocket-powered vehicle competition 110. Method 150generally includes establishing 152 spaceport, which includes verticallaunch pads and a spectator portion, and landing and launchingrocket-powered vehicles for substantially simultaneous competition alonga flight path. Rocket-powered vehicles 112 and 113 race by competingwith one another according to the pre-determined criteria and along thesame three-dimensional flight path 122. The rocket-powered vehiclecompetition of method 150 includes at least two rocket-powered vehicleslaunching and landing from spaceport 114 within view of stadium 118 andcompeting along flight path 122 at substantially the same time. As such,a first rocket-powered vehicle 112 vertically launches 154 from launchportion 116 and a second rocket-powered vehicle 113 also launches fromlaunch portion 116 at substantially the same time or within a short timeperiod after the launch of rocket-powered vehicle 112 on the same day.Both rocket-powered vehicles 112 and 113 maneuver along flight path 122and vertically land at launch portion 116. Depending on thepre-determined criteria for the competition, rocket-powered vehicles 112and 113 may repeat flight path 122 several times via several launchesand landings.

FIG. 11 shows a top view of a spaceport 114 for use with rocket-poweredvehicle competition 110. As shown, a plurality of launch pads 121 areprovided a safe distance 123 from stadium 118. Although any number oflaunch pads may exist as desired, there may be at least six launch padsto support at least six rocket-powered vehicles in a single competition.A ditch zone 117 is provided a greater distance from stadium 118 thanlaunch pads 121. Ditch zone 117 is a relatively large area located awayfrom personnel and structures where rocket-powered vehicles 112 and 113may be directed in the event of an emergency. Stadium 118 may be locatedabout 3-5 miles from launch pads 121, and is preferably located about1-2 miles from launch pads 121.

Stadium 118 is a large arena designed to hold a large number ofspectators. For instance, stadium 118 may be able to hold about 1million spectators. Stadium 118 may be a semicircle design that providesgood viewability of launch pads 121 to most spectators located therein.To provide safe premises in the event of an emergency, a bunker (notshown) may be provided or stadium 118 may be substantially built withina bunker. Other safety mechanisms may exist, such as protective louversthat may be rapidly closed to provide protection, or protectivetransparent materials that shield spectators from debris in the event ofa rocket-powered vehicle crash or collision. To improve viewability ofthe rocket-powered vehicle competition 110, stadium 118 may includemultiple high-definition displays that show various views of therocket-powered vehicles. Further, seats within stadium 118 may includepersonal displays, which individual spectators may control to viewstatus of the competition, information about various rocket-poweredvehicles, etc. As described above with spaceport 14 in FIGS. 5 and 5A,rocket-powered vehicle information, video feeds, graphicalrepresentations of flight status, etc. may be provided to displays viatelemetry unit 34, ground system 44, mission control 96, media center88, wireless hub 92, etc.

FIG. 12 shows a sample display 200 that may used with spaceports 14 and114. Display 200 may be shown on personal displays installed in stadium118, televisions within the spaceports, personal display devices (e.g.,PDAs) in communication with wireless hub 92 (see FIG. 5A), etc. Theexample shown on display 200 is a graphical representation correspondingwith rocket-powered vehicle competition 110. As shown, representationsof rocket-powered vehicles 109, 112 and 113 competing in rocket-poweredvehicle competition 110 are shown. Their locations in display 200substantially represent their real-time location based on informationfrom their respective telemetry units 34 and/or mission control 96.Their locations show their progress along racecourse virtual tunnel 122in relation to pylons 115 and in relation with each other. Pylons 115may change color or otherwise indicate when a respective rocket-poweredvehicle passes the pylon. For instance, a pylon 115 may blink red when arocket-powered vehicle is close to the three-dimensional location inspace represented by the pylon. When the rocket-powered vehicle passesthe three-dimensional location based on radar tracking, GPS coordinates,etc., the pylon may turn to a solid green color and remain that wayuntil another rocket-powered vehicle approaches.

FIG. 13 shows a telemetry computer 87 that generates graphical displaysshowing status of the rocket-powered vehicle competition, informationabout rocket-powered vehicles, video feeds, etc. For instance, telemetrycomputer 87 may generate display 200 shown in FIG. 12. Telemetrycomputer 87 may be a server or other computing device. In general,computer 87 includes an interface 93, a CPU 95 and a storage medium 91,such as a hard drive, a network accessible storage location, localmemory, etc. Interface 93 may include one or more interfaces, such as awired network interface, a wireless network interface, etc. Storagemedium 91 stores software for instructing the CPU to generate displays,such as display 200, based on information received via interface 93. Forexample, computer 87 may receive location information for eachrocket-powered vehicle from ground system 44 (see FIG. 7) via telemetryunit 34. The location information may be based on sensors within therespective rocket-powered vehicle, such as global positioning sensors.Computer 87 may also receive location information for the rocket-poweredvehicles from mission control 96 (see FIG. 5A) determined via RADAR orother tracking and telemetry systems.

Based on the location information received for the rocket-poweredvehicles, which may be received on a substantially constant, real-timebasis from each competing rocket-powered vehicle, CPU 95 generates agraphical display such as display 200 showing the location of eachcompetitor rocket-powered vehicle. The graphical display may be athree-dimensional display. As shown in FIG. 12, the display generated bycomputer 87 may include virtual pylons 115 and racecourse tunnel 122,and show the rocket-powered vehicles in relation to them. The virtualpylons 115 and racecourse information may be stored in storage medium 91or provided via interface 93. As also shown in FIG. 12, computer 87 maydisplay supplemental information 107 about each rocket-powered vehicle,such as specifications, payload, team information, etc.

In addition to being shown on displays within spaceports 14 and 114,displays generated by telemetry computer 87 may be provided tospectators via the Internet or wireless hub 92 (see FIG. 5A). Further,computer 87 may act as a central repository to store and collateinformation about competitions 10 and 110 prior to, during and/or afterthey occur, and to provide that information to spectators, judges and/orthe public. For instance, using a computing device (not shown) incommunication with wireless hub 92, a spectator may be able to navigatea three-dimensional graphical display of the race as it is occurringusing data from telemetry computer 87. As such, the spectator may beable to zoom in and out of portions of a graphical representation of theracecourse shown on their computer to view progress of specificrocket-powered vehicles. They may also be able to switch between videofeeds from one or more rocket-powered vehicles provided to computer 87via telemetry units 34 for the rocket-powered vehicles. Thus, telemetrycomputer 87 may permit spectators to actively monitor the competitionand the progress of all participants on a substantially real-time basis.

Rocket-powered vehicle competition 110, method 150 and spaceport 114provide an exciting event with which spectators may feel a sense ofparticipation. This is partially because racecourse tunnel 122 is aclosed flight path within direct viewing by spectators (e.g., viaeyesight, binoculars and telescopes) and via equipment (e.g., graphicalrepresentations of race status). To enhance the level of excitementfurther, rocket-powered vehicle competition may require rocket-poweredvehicles 112 and 113 to complete multiple laps on the racecourse 122.This may include staying on the ground for periods of time to re-fueland prepare the rocket-powered vehicles for further flight and multipletakeoffs and landings, which provide many opportunities for spectatorsto view varied aspects of the competition. Spectators may also be ableto view the rocket-powered vehicles on their respective launch padsprior to the beginning of the competition.

Rocket-powered vehicles 112 and 113 (as well as rocket-powered vehicles12 in competition 10) may be controlled by the human occupants;although, certain aspects may be computer controlled as determined byrace criteria (e.g., blast off may be largely computer controlled). Thismakes the competition very exciting to spectators and provides “heroes”that may be created of exceptional pilots. Add to that the excitement ofsupersonic, rocket-propelled rocket-powered vehicles competing with oneanother substantially simultaneously, and a thrilling competition iscreated that should appeal to a large segment of society and attractcorporate sponsors.

Example Rocket-Powered Vehicle Competition with Direct Racing BetweenParticipants

Referring now to FIGS. 14A-C, 15 and 16, a rocket-powered vehiclecompetition 1410 (FIGS. 14A and 14B), a rocket-powered vehicle racingmethod 1510 (FIG. 15), a rocket-powered vehicle (FIG. 16) 1610 and aspaceport 1418 (FIGS. 14A-C) according to further embodiments of theinvention are generally shown. Aspects of these further embodiments aregenerally the same as previously discussed embodiments, except asdiscussed hereafter. As shown in FIG. 14A, rocket-powered vehiclecompetition 1410 generally includes rocket-powered vehicles 1412, 1414and 1416, and a spaceport 1418 having a launch and/or landing portion1420, a spectator portion 1422, a ditch zone 1424 and a touch strip1426.

Rocket-powered vehicle competition 1410 provides a high level ofexcitement for spectators and participants alike via direct,head-to-head racing between the race participants to be the first tocomplete a race course. The exciting atmosphere can be further enhancedfor the spectators through various aspects of the racing method that maybe practiced alone or in a variety of combinations including: verticaltake-offs near the spectator portion 1422; visual and audible mechanismsfor clearly identifying participant rocket-powered vehicles;pre-determined racing parameters including rapid refueling and limitedfuel quantity, engine burn time and/or thrust options; rocket-poweredvehicle configurations based on the parameters and strategic options forthe participants in response to the parameters (e.g., choices involvingfuel quantity and thrust management); spectator interactivity with therace participants; and user participation in real-time races via virtualrocket-powered vehicles.

As shown in FIG. 15 and as generally depicted in FIGS. 14A and 14B, therocket-powered vehicles of rocket-powered vehicle competition 1410 willrace in groups of two or more along the same course. The racing may beperformed in “heats” where small groups of participants race to qualify,the winners of which progress to the next level. The racing may also beperformed as comprehensive racing between all participants. Accordingly,rocket-powered vehicle method 1510 includes the step 1512 of launching afirst rocket-powered vehicle of a group of racing participants and thestep 1516 of launching a second rocket-powered vehicle of the group ofracing participants substantially simultaneously with the step oflaunching the first rocket-powered vehicle. The rocket-powered vehiclesmay be launched abreast or in a staggered fashion, which may beadvantageous for logistical and safety reasons. As illustrated in FIG.14A, the rocket-powered vehicles may launch and land in a horizontalmanner similar to conventional fixed wing aircraft along an airstrip1421 of launch portion 1420, which may be a single airstrip, a pluralityof shared airstrips, or a plurality of participant-specific airstrips.After launch, each rocket-powered vehicle can turn 1428 its flight path1429 to a substantially vertical flight path and fire its rockets forvertical take-off. The rocket-powered vehicles can land on a landingstrip by gliding in a manner similar to conventional fixed wingaircraft. Rocket-powered vehicles that can fly in both horizontal andvertical configurations may be advantageous for racecourses requiringrepeated take off and landing. Example rocket-powered vehicles that canfly in both configurations are described hereafter along with FIG. 16.

According to an optional aspect of method 1510, each participantrocket-powered vehicle may be required to perform the step 1514, 1518 ofmaneuvering proximate a group of spectators and, while proximate thegroup of spectators, performing a pre-determined maneuver. The maneuverlocation may be closer to the spectators than the respective launchlocation of each rocket-powered vehicle. This can permit the spectatorsto have a relatively close view of an exciting maneuver, such asvertical take-off, which they may not be able to view as closely as theycould otherwise view due to safety or logistical considerations. Such amaneuver location can also permit the spectators to directly viewsignificant portions of the race that they may otherwise not be able toview or that they may be required to view remotely (e.g., via adisplay). For instance, the maneuver may include the participantsproceeding past a finish line or through a finish gate 1432 to completethe race. Direct spectator observation of the race completion canheighten the excitement of the event. In another example, eachrocket-powered vehicle may be required to perform a vertical take-offmaneuver close to the spectators at spectator portion 1422, which is anexciting maneuver to observe due to the firing of the rockets and therapid ascent of the rocket-powered vehicle. In addition, eachrocket-powered vehicle may be required to perform a touch-and-gomaneuver at touch strip 1426 proximate the spectators while flyinghorizontally after its launch, after which it can perform a verticaltake-off maneuver in view of the spectators. These maneuvers permit thespectators to share in the excitement of launch and vertical take-off,while being protected from the greater risks associated with vehiclelaunch and landing at the airstrips. The rocket-powered vehicles may berequired to perform various maneuvers proximate the spectators as partof landing, take off, refueling, race completion, or at other portionsin the race.

The racecourses 1429 shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B are three-dimensionalracecourses similar to racecourse tunnel 122 of FIG. 10, with theaddition of the required touch-and-go maneuver in front of thespectators followed by a rocket relight. Racecourses 1429 are formed viaracecourse data that may include markers for virtual pylons 1430, one ormore racecourse tunnels identifying flight envelopes for thecompetition, and one or more team/vehicle-specific tunnels withinracecourse tunnels that identify flight envelopes for individualvehicles. As shown, the racecourse may also include one or more physicalgates 1432. The markers may be fixed or they may be varied from lap tolap, or race to race. The race may include laps around the racecourse;laps from point to point, such as around a track 1434 shown in FIG. 14Bformed via one or more virtual pylons and other racecourse dataincluding coordinates for virtual tunnels; laps around varioussub-portions of the racecourse; or combinations thereof. The racecourseor portions of it (e.g., virtual track 1434 discussed below along withFIG. 14B) can change from lap to lap or even randomly, which can be anadded measure to excite the crowds. Spectators themselves may even beable to play a role in selecting from a matrix of pre-designated virtualtracks in the sky.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 14A for racing configuration 1410,three-dimensional safety zones or safety bubbles 1413 are maintainedaround each rocket-powered vehicle while competing along the racecourse.The safety bubbles ensure that a safe separation distance is maintainedbetween the rocket-powered vehicles, which is an even more significantconcern for the head-to-head racing configurations of space competition1410. In one configuration, safety rules for the competition willrequire that each rocket-powered vehicle have a virtual bubble around itaccording to pre-determined safety criteria. If a pilot maneuvers hisrocket-powered vehicle into the bubble of another rocket-poweredvehicle, such as from behind during head-to-head racing, then points arededucted from the violating rocket-powered vehicle and/or team. Thebubbles can be generated and maintained through navigation data sentfrom the rocket-powered vehicles and monitored at the spaceport.Optionally, each rocket-powered vehicle may be required to fly withinits own virtual tunnel. The vehicle-specific virtual tunnels may bespaced apart a sufficient distance to ensure safe navigation withrespect to competitors, but may be located proximate to one another sothat all vehicles follow a substantially identical course.

For example, in accordance with the navigational monitoring aspects ofthe invention discussed along with the description of rocket-poweredvehicle 12 in FIGS. 6-8 and the spaceport of FIGS. 4, 5 and 5 a, therocket-powered vehicles of racing competition 1410 will be outfittedposition monitoring sensors, such as global positioning system (GPS)equipment, and preferably are outfitted with high precision positionmonitoring equipment, such as the GPS equipment known as “differentialGPS.” Each rocket-powered vehicle transmits its real time location to aground control system, such as via the wireless telemetry to the grounddiscussed along with FIG. 7 and/or via communications with otherrocket-powered vehicles. The rocket-powered vehicle flight system, theground control system (e.g., mission control 96 shown in FIG. 5A), andother rocket-powered vehicles monitor the position of rocket-poweredvehicles on racecourse 1429 and the safety bubbles formed around eachrocket-powered vehicle. The safety bubbles may be shown to spectatorsvia televisions 86 shown in FIG. 5A, which may include JUMBOTRONdisplays, via wireless devices, and/or via other network-enabled devicesmonitoring the racing competition 1410 over the Internet.

As discussed further along with FIG. 19, the pilots of eachrocket-powered vehicle may be provided with a heads up display that may,in various combinations, display other competitors, the competitor'ssafety bubbles, the vehicle-specific virtual tunnel within which thevehicle should navigate, the overall racecourse tunnel, virtual pylons,physical data and obstacles. Each pilot preferably receives warnings asthey approach bubbles of other aircraft or move out of theirvehicle-specific tunnel, which can optionally be integrated into thecontrol functions of the rocket-powered vehicle itself. Race moderatorsmay have the ability to increase or decrease the size of the bubbles toallow closer in clustering of race participants or to provide deliberateseparation.

As shown in FIG. 14B, the racecourse 1429 may exist in athree-dimensional plane initially reaching into the sky a height 1436.The racecourse may include one or more tracks 1434, which may have adimension 1438 in the downstream direction and a dimension 1440 in thecross plane direction. In one configuration, the height 1436 anddimensions 1438 and 1440 may be the same to form a generally circulartrack. However, the track may have a variety of sizes, shapes anddimensions. In one embodiment, the height 1436 is between one-half andone and a half miles, which should be viewable by spectators viabinoculars or another viewing aid, and preferably is about one mile,which is a relatively safe height that may also be viewable by thespectators. In other embodiments, racecourse 1429 and/or track 1434 mayexpand out to include larger and larger volumes of space beyond one anda half miles, reaching further into the sky vertically, and/or in thecrosswise and downstream directions. In addition, the race can extendvertically to sub orbital altitudes, or can circle the earth or evenextend to the moon or beyond. Constraints on the racecourse and tracksinclude performance limitations of the rocket-powered vehiclesthemselves, and may involve considerations of the ability to bring therace to the spectators through remote display technologies in a way thatkeeps it exciting and creates a shared sense of close-in participation.

In one configuration of rocket-powered vehicle competition 1410, eachrocket-powered vehicle will have a pre-determined maximum quantity ofrocket fuel as measured by mass or an estimated engine burn time at acertain thrust. Each rocket-powered vehicle may also be limited to apre-determined maximum burn time for its rocket engine(s), which may beprovided in concert with pre-determined maximum thrust parameters. Thepre-determined maximums will be selected to ensure periodic refueling ofeach rocket-powered vehicle during the competition.

Rapid refueling via team-specific pits may be an option or a requirementfor rocket-powered vehicle competition 1410. Rapid refueling can permitlong duration races while providing the spectators with a close look atthe race teams, which can occur during the actual race as therocket-powered vehicles are being refueled and serviced. For instance, aquantity of rocket fuel sufficient for a burn time of 4 minutes may beestablished for the pre-determined maximums, which may permit arocket-powered vehicle to navigate a single lap of racecourse 1429 in arapid timeframe if the pilot burns the rocket engine continuously.However, based on this choice, the pilot may need to refuel relativelyquickly. A second pilot may strategically choose to proceed at a slowerrate that includes gliding and periodically burning the fuel to maintainspeed or to boost the rocket-powered vehicle speed when needed. Thesecond pilot may be able to navigate two laps of racecourse 1429 withoutrefueling, but at an overall slower rate than the rate at which thefirst pilot can complete each lap and undergo rapid refuelingtherebetween. The pre-determined maximums may be established to ensureeach rocket-powered vehicle must refuel at least once during thecompetition or to ensure each rocket-powered vehicle must alternatebetween boosting and gliding. It will be up to the individualrocket-powered vehicle pilot to decide how to use the fuel throughoutthe race to conserve fuel, vary thrust, sustain velocity, taxi, etc. Therace may be a collection of boost and glide modes as the pilot works tooptimally manage the application of rocket thrust while conservingscarce fuel. After the fuel is expended, the pilot will glide to landthe rocket-powered vehicle and undergo a rapid refueling.

In one embodiment of the rocket-powered vehicle competition 1410, eachparticipant may be able to strategically develop his propulsion systemto provide a selectively-applied booster engine configuration based onanticipated management of the limited supply of fuel and desired engineperformance. Various combinations of rocket engines, types ofpropellants, and nozzle configurations, including various nozzle sizes,types and styles, may be developed by each team to strategically meetthe pre-selected maximums while attempting to maximize rocket-poweredvehicle performance. For example, a participant team may develop arocket-powered vehicle that has one or two primary rocket engines forvertical takeoff, as well as one or more smaller engines that can beselectively ignited and/or strategically controlled for navigating theracecourse.

FIG. 14C shows an example support station 1440 for a rocket-poweredvehicle, which is part of the landing and/or takeoff portion 1420 of thespaceport, and includes one of the airstrips 1420 located therein. Ifpracticable, each team has its own support station and a dedicatedairstrip. Preferably, each rocket-powered vehicle has its own airstripregardless of whether the rocket-powered vehicle's team may sponsormultiple rocket-powered vehicle entrants. The support station includesmaintenance station 1442 and refueling 1444. Maintenance station 1442houses necessary maintenance equipment and supplies for preparing arocket-powered vehicle for the competition, supporting therocket-powered vehicle during competition, and servicing therocket-powered vehicle after the competition. Maintenance station 1442may also provide a base camp for team personnel who are supporting thecompetition.

Refueling station 1444 may be proximate the maintenance station forlogistical advantages and to provide parallel maintenance and refuelingoperations during a pit stop of the competition, such as a rapidrefueling stop. Alternatively, the refueling station may be separated asafe distance from the maintenance station and other structures toreduce the likelihood of a fuel accident affecting a large number ofpeople.

Refueling station 1444 may include filled replacement fuel tanks 1446,standard rate refueling equipment 1448, and rapid refueling equipment.In a configuration in which the supported rocket-powered vehicleincludes removable fuel tanks and/or banks of fuel tanks (discussedbelow along with an example rocket-powered vehicle shown in FIG. 16),the refueling station has replacement tanks on hand, filled and readyfor rapidly transferring to and installing in the supportedrocket-powered vehicle during a pit stop. The refueling station also hasstandard rate refueling equipment for fueling the rocket-powered vehicleduring maintenance and race preparations, as well as for fueling thereplacement fuel tanks in anticipation of a refueling pit stop. Therefueling station also includes rapid refueling equipment, which mayprovide high-flow rate refueling as needed on an emergency basis, fortopping off a rocket-powered vehicle during an unscheduled pit stop, andfor refueling fixed tank rocket-powered vehicles. The rapid refuelingequipment may also include support equipment for transporting the filledremovable fuel tanks to a rocket-powered vehicle and for quicklycompleting fuel tank replacement procedures.

For fixed tank rocket-powered vehicle configurations, the rapidrefueling equipment may include high-flow rate refueling equipment thatprovides fuel and oxidizer as needed to the tanks at a high-flow rate,which may also be at a high pressure to support the fast operation. Inorder to avoid potential safety issues that may be associated with highpressure/high velocity refueling, the high-flow rate equipment may havelarge cross-sectional conduits, which can provide a rapid volumetricflow rate without pumping the fuel at high velocities and/or at highpressures (beyond pressures required to maintained certain fuels andoxidizers in a liquid state). In conjunction with the rapid volumetricflow rate equipment, a corresponding rocket-powered vehicle wouldpreferably have large cross-sectional ports to avoid narrowing the fuelflow and thereby increasing the flow velocity to maintain the rapidvolumetric flow rate. The large cross-sectional ports may be in additionto standard fuel ports used for standard refueling procedures.

FIG. 16 shows an example rocket-powered vehicle 1610 that may be used toselectively-apply thrust to conserve fuel while providing desiredperformance characteristics. However, rocket-powered vehicle 1610 may beused to practice other aspects of the invention, including performingmethods 50, 150 and 1510 and aspects related to rocket-powered vehiclecompetitions 10, 110 and 1410. Rocket-powered vehicle 1610 is generallythe same as rocket-powered vehicle 12 shown in FIGS. 6-8 except asdiscussed hereafter. As shown, rocket-powered vehicle 1610 includes aflight system 1632 and propulsion system 1628. The propulsion systemincludes a primary rocket engine 1640, a secondary rocket engine 1642,and propellant 1630. Rocket-powered vehicle 1610 is a fixed-wingaircraft having horizontal flight functionality and glide functionalitysimilar to conventional jet aircraft, as well as vertical flightfunctionality as a rocket-powered spacecraft. As an example,rocket-powered vehicle 1610 may be based on the aircraft known as EZROCKET made by XCOR AEROSPACE having a place of business in Mojave,Calif., United States of America.

Propellant 1630 may include a variety of rocket fuels, such as anoxidizer (e.g., liquid oxygen, nitrogen tetroxide, nitrous oxide, air,hydrogen peroxide, perchlorate, ammonium perchlorate, etc.) plus a fuel(e.g., light methane, hydrazine-UDMH, kerosene, hydroxy-terminatedpolybutadiene (HPTB), jet fuel, alcohol, asphalt, special oils, polymerbinders, solid rocket fuel, etc.). The fuel is stored in fuel tank 1644and the oxidizer is stored in another fuel tank 1646. The fuel tanks maybe disposed within wings of the rocket-powered vehicle, within the bodyof the rocket-powered vehicle, or may be carried underneath therocket-powered vehicle. In one configuration, the fuel tanks may beremovable tanks, such as a single tank or a bank of smaller tanks thatcan be removed and installed on the rocket-powered vehicle relativelyquickly. For example, rocket-powered vehicle 1610 may include a pair ofstorage bays (not shown) into which a bank of tanks 1644 or 1646 may besecured. The rocket-powered vehicle 1610 may also include detachablecouplings (not shown) for connecting to the bank of tanks. Thedetachable couplings may include a variety of clamps with seals (e.g.,O-rings) connecting pressurized piping between the bank of tanks and therocket-powered vehicle propulsion system. In another configuration, thefuel tanks may be fixedly attached or formed within the rocket-poweredvehicle, such as being formed within the wings

As shown in FIG. 16, the propulsion system further includes piping 1650for delivering the propellant to primary rocket engine 1640 andsecondary rocket engine 1642, as well as valves 1652 and pumps 1654 forcontrolling the delivery of the propellant to the engines. Preferably, asingle pair of fuel tanks 1644 and 1646 feeds both of the engines, whichcan simplify the design of the rocket-powered vehicle and can assistwith permitting the fuel tanks to be rapidly refueled. In addition, thetwo engines preferably share as many common parts as possible, such aspumps and certain control valves, to avoid unnecessary mass andcomplexity of the rocket-powered vehicle. However, the rocket-poweredvehicle may also include separate tank systems for each engine and otherindependent components. In addition, each engine may include its owncombustion chamber and nozzles. The valves and pumps may be controllableto direct fuel and oxidizer to one combustion chamber or the other, andthey may be controllable to direct fuel and oxidizer to both rocketengines depending at the desired level of thrust or fuel consumption. Asshown in FIG. 16, secondary rocket engine 1642 may be placed underneathprimary rocket engine 1640 to apply thrust along its longitudinal axis.However, the secondary rocket engine may be placed at various locationson the rocket-powered vehicle with respect to the primary rocket and mayinclude a plurality of secondary rocket engines placed at variouslocations.

In one configuration, the primary rocket engine is used mainly forvertical takeoff while the secondary rocket engine is principally usedfor maneuvering through the course, maintaining velocity, and boostingvelocity. In another configuration, the primary rocket engine hasselectively controllable thrust settings and provides both thrust forvertical takeoff and for maneuvering through the course, whereas thesecondary rocket engine provides thrust for taxiing along runways. Bothengines can be used simultaneously in other configurations to provide amaximum amount of thrust, but at the expense of consuming fuel at themaximum rate. Alternatively, one engine can be run to conserve fuelwhile still maintaining a reasonable velocity.

In one configuration, options for the engines may be dictated for therace to limit the variety of propulsion systems. For instance, theprimary rocket engine may be required to be an on-off engine for allparticipants, which provides primary thrust for vertical take-off. Thesecondary rocket engine may be directed to have a finite number ofthrust levels, such as low, medium and full thrust. It is understoodthat a wide variety of rocket engine types with a wide variety of thrustlevels and control features may be possible for the rocket-poweredvehicles. However, mandating parameters such as the number of rocketengines, the maximum thrust for the engines, thrust levels for theengines, controllability of the engines including directional controls,etc. can significantly add to the amount of strategic considerations forthe race participants and can, therefore, add to the excitement for theevent. Thrust levels may be controlled by adjusting the flow rate offuel and oxidizer into the combustion chamber via controlling pumps 1652and valves 1654 illustrated in FIG. 16.

As desired, one or both engines can have movable nozzles 1660 and thrustvector control mechanisms for maneuvering the rocket-powered vehiclebased on the orientation and magnitude of the rocket thrust vector. Theselection of engine configurations and controls may be significant for aparticular team according to their strategy for winning the race. Asnoted above, the secondary engine may be adapted to primarily provideboost augmentation rather than to taxi or sustain velocity. For example,once fired, the secondary rocket engine can generate a significant boostand remain ignited until the propellant burns out. In anotherconfiguration, the secondary rocket engine can include a pair of smallrocket boosters that are fired at various times as selected by the raceteam and pilots. In another example, the secondary rocket engine caninclude a bank of small rocket boosters, such as about five boosters. Ina further example configuration, the secondary rocket engine can bepowered via a solid propellant alone while relying upon atmosphericoxygen to be an oxidizer. However, such a configuration may have limitedapplicability to low altitude uses at which sufficient oxygen can beobtained when needed.

As further shown in FIG. 16, rocket-powered vehicle 1610 may includenozzle deflectors 1656 on a nozzle of secondary rocket engine 1642 thatmodify the exit cone from the engine to produce a unique sound. Thespectators can use the unique sound to identify the rocket-poweredvehicle or its team. Placement of the deflectors on the secondary rocketengine in a configuration in which it acts as a taxi engine can bebeneficial for providing the unique sound whenever the rocket-poweredvehicle is taxiing and, therefore, is within audible range of thespectators. Alternatively, the nozzle deflectors can be placed on theprimary rocket engine 1640, which may be beneficial for providing theunique sound during vertical takeoff. The nozzle deflectors can be usedat all times to produce a signature sound for the rocket-powered vehicleand/or its team while that engine is being fired. Alternatively, thenozzle deflectors can be selectively activated and deactivated toprovide the signature sound as desired, such as whenever therocket-powered vehicle is within audible range of the spectators.

As further shown in FIG. 16, rocket-powered vehicle 1610 may include asound generator 1658, such as a conventional horn or siren, which canaugment the sound generation capabilities of nozzle deflectors 1656 orprovide an alternative sound generation mechanism compared with thenozzle deflectors 1656. The sound generator may augment the soundsignature of the deflector nozzles (e.g., provide a similar sound tothat generated via the nozzle deflectors), play a previously-recordedversion of the unique sound, or even amplify the sounds generated vianozzle deflectors previously considered or may be relied upon alone toprovide the sound signature for the rocket-powered vehicle. The flightsystem may be configured to activate the sound generator and/or thenozzle deflectors on command from the pilot or another member of theteam. In addition, the flight system may be configured to automaticallyactivate it below a certain altitude or whenever the flight systemreceives a signal or other indication that it is located proximate thespaceport.

Referring now to FIGS. 17 and 18A-C, a rocket-powered vehicle 1710according to another embodiment of the invention is shown.Rocket-powered vehicle 1710 generally includes the aspects and featuresof rocket-powered vehicle 1610, except as discussed hereafter. As shown,rocket-powered vehicle 1710 includes a plume visualization system 1712,which enhances the visibility of the rocket plume. In addition, theplume visualization system may mark the plume from one or more of therocket engine in a persistent manner such that the plume remainsviewable for a period of time after the rocket-powered vehicle createsit. For instance, the plume may mark the trail of a rocket-poweredvehicle for a period between 5 seconds to 1 minute, which permitsspectators to easily follow the rocket-powered vehicles along thedirectly viewable portions of the racecourse. In one configuration, eachrocket-powered vehicle marks its plume in manner specific to thatrocket-powered vehicle or racing team, such that the plume identifiesthe rocket-powered vehicle and its path. For instance, eachrocket-powered vehicle or team may have one or more colors associatedwith it. Thus, each rocket-powered vehicle may have a visual signaturevia its plume, and it may also have a sound signature as discussed abovealong with FIG. 16. Accordingly, spectators can be provided withmultiple cues to help them keep track of the fast-paced race occurringoverhead amid the excitement of the contest.

As shown in FIG. 17, according to one embodiment of the invention, plumevisualization system 1712 includes a seed tank 1714 in communicationwith the rocket-powered vehicle flight system 1732, an injector pumpsystem 1716, and injector nozzles 1718. The plume visualization systemmarks one or more plumes from the rocket-powered vehicle via injectingplume seed containing chemicals into the hot rocket plume 1720 as itexits one or more rocket nozzles 1722 of the rocket engine. Seed tank1714 retains the chemicals, which may be in a liquid form conducive forpressurized spraying. Injector pump 1716 receives the chemicals from theseed tank via a conduit 1724 between the two. The conduit may includecomponents specific to the type of chemical used, such as a mixing tankfor mixing one or more chemicals to form the chemical or place it in anactive form, and/or for placing the chemicals in a mixture conducive forspraying, etc. The conduit may also include valves and othercontrollable devices for controlling the preparation and flow of thechemicals to the injector pump. The injector pump delivers the chemicalto injector nozzles 1718, which spray it directly into the plume as itexits the rocket engine nozzle.

The visual identifier may be generated via a chemical reaction thatoccurs in response to the heat of the plume, which causes the chemicalsto burn or radiate a particular color. In one configuration, theintensity of the color may vary according the thrust level of theengine. This may be accomplished by providing temperature-sensitivechemicals to the plume that cause radiant light energy at differenttemperatures, thereby displaying to spectators a piecewise spectrum ofcolors that vary in wavelength according to thrust level. For instance,as shown in FIG. 17, a first portion of the plume 1730 emits the naturalcolors of combustion for the particular propellant being burned, such askerosene or alcohol. A second portion of the plume 1732, which islocated just downstream from entry of the chemicals, emits colors basedon initial reactions with the chemicals injected into the plume, such asthe burning of metal salts or pyrotechnic chemicals. A third portion ofthe plume 1734 further downstream from the second portion emitsdifferent colors, which may be produced by cooling combustion products,continuing reactions such as longer duration pyrotechnic reactions,continued reactions between chemicals and the atmosphere, etc.Preferably, however, the first and second portions include common colorsidentified with a particular rocket-powered vehicle or team, such asvarious blues for one team or various reds for another team.

In another configuration, the intensity of color may be deliberatelyvaried based on the flow rate of plume seed sprayed from the injectornozzles. For example, an intense color may deliberately be providedduring vertical take off or as a rocket-powered vehicle crosses a finishline marker. The pilot may be able to control the plume visualizationsystem via controls of the flight system. Alternatively, the plumevisualization system may be controlled remotely via ground controlcommunications to the flight system. In another configuration, theflight system may be programmed to control automatically the plumevisualization system according to location of the rocket-poweredvehicle.

The chemicals of the plume seed may include one or metal salts. When themetal salts are exposed to the flame of the rocket plume, they give offlight characteristic of the metal. The metal ions combine with electronsin the flame, which are raised to excited states because of the highflame temperature. Upon returning to their ground state, they give offenergy in form of light (a line spectrum) that is characteristic of thatmetal. Several metal salts give off a characteristic color visible tothe human eye as is demonstrated by the alkali metals and a few otherelements. Examples of chemicals that may be used various combinationsinclude sodium, potassium, aluminum chloride, boric acid, calciumchloride, cobalt chloride, copper chloride, lithium chloride, magnesiumchloride, manganese chloride, sodium chloride, strontium chloride.Pyrotechnic chemicals commonly used in fireworks displays may used aswell, including antimony trisulfide, ammonium perchlorate, ammoniumchloride, aluminum, and more.

In an alternative configuration (not shown), rocket-powered vehicle 1710includes a non-reactive smoke generator, which provides non-reactiveidentification smoke when the rocket engine is not being fired. Thenon-reactive smoke generator preferably turns off when the rocket engineis being fired to capture the natural combustion colors, such as theyellow color of burning kerosene or the violet/blue of burning alcohol.When the rocket engine turns off and the vehicle is gliding, the smokegenerator may emit identification smoke to demonstrate therocket-powered vehicle's glide path. Thus, rocket engine combustionhighlights the rocket-powered vehicle's flight path when powered, andthe non-reactive smoke generator highlights its flight path whengliding. In another configuration, a plume visualization system may beused during rocket firing to identify the plume of the particularrocket-powered vehicle or team, and a non-reactive smoke generator maybe used by the same rocket-powered vehicle while gliding to produceidentification smoke that generally matches the colors produced by theplume visualization system. Thus, regardless of the firing status ofrocket engines, a visual signature may be constantly provided thathighlights the rocket-powered vehicle's flight path.

Referring now to FIG. 19, a heads up display 1910 is shown as part of arocket-powered vehicle console in a rocket-powered vehicle,rocket-powered vehicle 1610 shown in FIG. 16, in accordance withembodiments of the invention. Heads up display 1912 may be shown on arugged display device 1912, such as the rugged displays currentlymanufactured according to United States military specifications for usein military vehicles. The display can show a wide variety of informationto the pilot in a variety of views including vehicle controlinformation, racing information, maintenance information, navigationinformation, etc. The display device may be connected to flight system1632 and/or other systems and flight computers. FIG. 19 shows an exampleview of display 1910 during a racing competition, such as competition1410 of FIGS. 14A and 14B. As illustrated, the display may show, invarious combinations, other competitors 1914; the competitor's safetybubbles 1916; the vehicle-specific virtual tunnel within which thevehicle should navigate (not shown); the overall racecourse tunnel 1918;virtual pylons 1920; physical data 1914, such as an actual view of acompetitor, obstacles, or other physical objects; the location of thepilot's vehicle 1924; and competition information 1922. The informationshown may be generated by the flight computer based on informationreceived from flight control (e.g., status of competitors), pre-loadedrace information (e.g., racecourse tunnel), navigation informationreceived from flight control (e.g., your current location), navigationinformation from various sensors (e.g., GPS receivers), vehicle sensors(e.g., fuel level sensors, cameras, etc.), etc. The display may alsoshow an overall view of the racecourse 1928 showing the status of otherparticipants and the current location of the pilot's vehicle in relationthereto.

The competition information 1922 may include warnings 1926, such as awarning when a pilot approaches or enters bubbles of other vehicles,moves out of their vehicle-specific tunnel, moves out of the racecoursetunnel, or misses a virtual pylon or other waypoint of the race, etc.The warning can flash red on the display for certain warnings. Inaddition, tactile and audible warnings can be provided to the pilot,such as vibrating a control handle the pilot is using or playing awarning sound. Similarly, positive indications (not shown) can beprovided when the vehicle successfully hits a waypoint, such asnavigating around a virtual pylon or flying through a virtual gate. Forinstance, a green light or message can flash on the display to show thevehicle successfully passed a virtual pylon. In addition, tactile oraudible indications can also be provided for successfully completing thetask. The overall view 1928 may also include warnings and positivevisual indicators, such as flashing in red a missed virtual pylon orflashing the same pylon in green when the pilot successfully navigatesaround it.

Referring now to FIGS. 20 and 21, a spectator server 2010 (FIG. 20) anda spectator computing device 2110 (FIG. 21) are generally shownaccording to embodiments of the invention. The spectator server 2010generally includes the same aspects as telemetry computer 87 discussedabove along with FIG. 13, except as described hereafter. The spectatorserver may be a separate entity from the telemetry computer, it may be aseparate logical entity from the spectator server that resides on thesame computer or group of computers, or it may be a completely separateentity from the telemetry computer that may or may not be incommunication with the telemetry computer. The spectator server is acomputing entity that interacts with spectators to permit them toparticipate interactively in a racing competition, such as competitions10, 110 and 1410. The interactivity may include providing status andother race related information to spectators, such as is described alongwith the description for telemetry computer 87. In addition, thespectator computer may permit spectators to interact directly with raceparticipants and to be involved with aspects of the race itself, such asvoting on racecourse options. In addition, the spectator computer mayprovide gaming information to spectators or other people to permit avariety of gaming options, such as virtual racing against actualparticipants. Spectator computing device is a device that spectators orother interested people may use to interact with the spectator computerfor gaming purposes or other racing purposes. Spectator computing devicemay be specifically-designed device for the racing competition.Preferably, however, spectator computing device is a conventionalcomputing device, such as a personal digital assistant or a laptopcomputer.

As shown in FIG. 20, spectator server includes an interface 2012, a CPU2014 and a storage medium 2016, such as a hard drive, a networkaccessible storage location, local memory, etc. The interface mayinclude one or more interfaces, such as a wired and wireless networkinterfaces. Storage medium 2016 stores software for instructing the CPUto perform various steps such as providing updated racing information tospectator computing devices, hosting racing games based on raceinformation, and permitting spectators to interact with raceparticipants. In addition, the spectator server may act as web site topermit spectator computing device or other devices to have real timeparticipation in race events.

As shown in FIG. 21, spectator computing device 2110 generally includesan interface 2112, a CPU 2114 and a storage medium 2116, such as a harddrive, a network accessible storage location, local memory, etc., inputdevices 2118, and a display 2120. The interface may include one or moreinterfaces, such as a wired and wireless network interfaces. Storagemedium 2116 stores software for instructing the CPU to perform varioussteps such as receiving updated racing information from the spectatorserver and/or the telemetry computer, playing racing games based on therace information, and interacting with race participants. The storagemedium may have racing software stored locally thereon, with can permitthe user to race a virtual rocket-powered vehicle at any time regardlessof the device's connectivity status with other computers. When thedevice is connected to other computers, however, the user may choose torace his virtual vehicle as part of actual ongoing races via data fromthe spectator server and/or against other virtual competitors.Optionally, the spectator server may host the gaming software and thespectator computing device may interact with the spectator server forracing games.

Browser-based software and/or racing specific software stored on thespectator computing device may allow spectators to accomplish a widevariety of functions related to rocket-powered vehicle races, which maybe selectable in an interactive manner to provide the user with ahands-on experience. In one configuration, a spectator can select a softkey that brings up an actual racecourse and shows a virtual vehiclethereon for the spectator to race. The display would show computergenerated images depicting the actual rocket racers, driven bydifferential GPS or the equivalent, so that the placement of thecomputer generated vehicles on the screen matches that which is takingplace in the real live race. If the user clicks on a specific vehicle,the spectator can then select from a number of functions that mightinclude listening in on the cockpit conversation and other audibles,viewing either a virtual instrument cluster driven with real-timetelemetry data, or viewing a live video feed of the actual instrumentcluster. Other options might allow the spectator to stream a video ofthe pilot's face, or stream a variety of video feed from a number ofdifferent cameras or telemetry stream from various instrumentationsuites installed on the rocket vehicles. The spectator can bring upmultiple pilots on the screen and pit one against the other.

In one configuration, operated under stringent safety protocol, aspectator using the computing device can compete via the spectatorserver for the opportunity to speak with a pilot during the race.Optionally, with safety being a primary concern, spectators can evencompete for the opportunity to ignite remotely a rocket engine boostfrom their laptop computer by hitting a specific button during apre-selected timeframe and after providing the winning username andpassword. Thus, spectators could actually and virtually participate in arocket-powered vehicle competition.

While the present invention has been described in connection with theillustrated embodiments, it may be appreciated and understood thatmodifications may be made without departing from the true spirit andscope of the invention. In particular, the invention may apply tovarious types of racing competitions, including races between vehicleson land, on water, in the air, and/or in outer space. In addition, theinvention may apply to manned vehicles (human occupied) and to unmannedvehicles, such as remotely controlled vehicles.

1. A method for racing rocket-powered vehicles against one another, themethod comprising: providing race criteria to a group of racingparticipants, each racing participant having a rocket-powered vehicle,the race criteria identifying a race course and establishing a winner ofa race as being the rocket-powered vehicle that is the first to completethe race course, the race criteria comprising three-dimensional safetydata for preventing collisions between competing rocket-poweredvehicles, the three dimensional safety data comprising a firstvehicle-specific tunnel for the first rocket-powered vehicle and asecond vehicle-specific tunnel for the second rocket-powered vehicle;launching into a first aerial flight path a first rocket-powered vehicleof the group of racing participates; launching into a second aerialflight path a second rocket-powered vehicle of the group of racingparticipants; and racing the first rocket-powered vehicle against thesecond rocket-powered vehicle, the first rocket-powered vehicle and thesecond rocket-powered vehicles maintaining a safe distance between eachother according to the three-dimensional safety data by staying withintheir vehicle-specific tunnel.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: maneuvering the first rocket-powered vehicle proximate agroup of spectators and, while proximate the group of spectators,performing a pre-determined maneuver; and maneuvering the secondrocket-powered vehicle proximate the group of spectators and, whileproximate the group of spectators, performing a pre-determined maneuver.3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a first visualidentifier marking the flight path of the first rocket-powered vehicle.4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of providing a first visualidentifier comprises emitting a non-reactive smoke from the firstrocket-powered vehicle.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step ofproviding a first visual identifier comprises injecting chemicals into aplume exiting a rocket engine of the first rocket-powered vehicle. 6.The method of claim 3, further comprising providing a second visualidentifier marking the flight path of the second rocket-powered vehicle,the second visual identifier having a different visual appearance thanthe first visual identifier to permit viewers to identify each of therocket-powered vehicles based on the different visual appearance of thevisual identifiers.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising thefirst rocket-powered vehicle producing a first audible identifier whileflying, the first audible identifier identifying the firstrocket-powered vehicle to a first listener hearing the first audibleidentifier.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of the firstrocket-powered vehicle producing a first audible identifier while flyingcomprises the first rocket-powered vehicle emitting the audibleidentifier from a sound generator.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein thestep of the first rocket-powered vehicle producing a first audibleidentifier while flying comprises the first rocket-powered vehiclemodifying an exit cone from a rocket engine.
 10. The method of claim 9,further comprising the second rocket-powered vehicle producing a secondaudible identifier while flying, the second audible identifieridentifying the second rocket-powered vehicle to a second listenerhearing the second audible identifier, the second audible havingdifferent sound properties than the first audible identifier to permitlisteners to identify each one of the rocket-powered vehicles based onthe sound of its audible identifier.
 11. The method of claim 1, whereinthe race criteria includes requiring each rocket-powered vehiclecompeting in the race to perform a refueling operation and the step ofracing comprises: the first rocket-powered vehicle performing a firstrefueling operation; and the second rocket-powered vehicle performing asecond refueling operation.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the stepof the first rocket-powered vehicle performing a first refuelingoperation comprises replacing a first set of partially expended fueltanks on the first rocket-powered vehicle with a refueled set of fueltanks.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the race criteria comprisesestablishing a maximum quantity of rocket fuel for each rocket-poweredvehicle.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum quantity ofrocket fuel is insufficient for each of the rocket-powered vehicles tocomplete a lap of the race without periodically conserving rocket fueland the step of racing comprises: the first rocket-powered vehiclealternating between gliding and applying power to its propulsion systemwhile navigating the race course; and the second rocket-powered vehiclealternating between gliding and applying power to its propulsion systemwhile navigating the race course.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein thethree-dimensional safety data comprises a three-dimensional safetybubble around each one of the competing rocket-powered vehicles and thestep of maintaining a safe distance comprises the first and secondrocket-powered vehicles avoiding overlapping their safety bubbles. 16.The method of claim 1 further comprising: providing a heads up displayin the first rocket-powered vehicle, the heads up display comprising: athree-dimensional view of a racecourse tunnel based on the race courseidentified in the race criteria; and a location identifier showing thecurrent location of the first rocket-powered vehicle in the racecoursetunnel.
 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising enablingcommunication between a spectator and a pilot of the firstrocket-powered vehicle.
 18. The method of claim 1, further comprisingproviding racing data in real-time to a spectator to permit thespectator to compete with the first and second rocket-powered vehiclesusing a virtual rocket-powered vehicle.
 19. The method of claim 1,wherein the step of racing comprises simultaneously racing the firstrocket-powered vehicle against the second rocket-powered vehicle.
 20. Amethod for racing rocket-powered vehicles against one another, themethod comprising: providing race criteria to a group of racingparticipates, each racing participant having a rocket-powered vehicle,the race criteria identifying a race course and establishing a winner ofa race as being the rocket-powered vehicle that is the first to completethe race course; launching into a first aerial flight path a firstrocket-powered vehicle of the group of racing participants, the firstrocket-powered vehicle producing a first audible identifier by modifyingan exit cone from a rocket engine while flying, the first audibleidentifier identifying the first rocket-powered vehicle to a firstlistener hearing the first audible identifier; launching into a secondaerial flight path a second rocket-powered vehicle of the group ofracing participants; and racing the first rocket-powered vehicle againstthe second rocket-powered vehicle.
 21. A method for racingrocket-powered vehicles against one another, the method comprising:proving race criteria to a group of racing participants, each racingparticipant having a rocket-powered vehicle, the race criteriaidentifying a race course and establishing a winner of a race as beingthe rocket-powered vehicle that is the first to compete the race course;providing a heads up display in the first rocket-powered vehicle, theheads up display comprising a three dimensional view of a racecoursetunnel based on the race course identified in the race criteria and alocation identifier showing the current location of the firstrocket-powered vehicle in the racecourse tunnel; launching into a firstaerial flight path the first rocket-powered vehicle of the group ofracing participants; launching into a first aerial flight path the firstrocket-powered vehicle of the group of racing participants; launchinginto a second aerial flight path the second rocket-powered vehicle ofthe group of racing participants; and racing the first rocket-poweredvehicle against the second rocket-powered vehicle.